Nail clippers and method of using

ABSTRACT

A nail clipper whose jaws are configured to reduce the risk of clipping the tip of a toe or finger when trimming the nail thereof. The clipper includes first and second jaws, with the second jaw opposing the first jaw and being sufficiently adjacent the first jaw to define a gap therebetween for receiving the nail of a finger or toe. The clipper further includes a feature for pivoting the first and second jaws toward each other. A blade is provided on the first jaw and extends toward the second jaw, and a plate is provided on the second jaw so as to oppose the blade of the first jaw. The plate has a planar surface against which the blade abuts when the first jaw is fully pivoted toward the second jaw by the pivoting feature. As such, only one of the jaws is formed to have a cutting feature (blade), so that the jaws cooperate to cut through a nail from only one side of the nail.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/721,151, filed Sep. 28, 2005, the contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to personal care and groomingproducts, and more particularly to nail clippers configured to reducethe risk of clipping the tips of fingers and toes, particularly those ofyoung children.

Neatly-trimmed fingernails and toenails are part of a well-groomedappearance and can be beneficial to a person's overall health. Clipperswidely used for trimming nails typically comprise a pair of arms thatextend side by side, with each arm having a jaw at one end biased apartfrom the jaw of the other arm to define a gap therebetween. The jaws areforced together, typically with a lever operating on a fulcrum, togenerate sufficient force to clip a nail placed between the jaws. Eachjaw is formed to have sharp cutting blades in order to simultaneouslycut through from opposite sides of the nail. Particularly when clippingfingernails of infants and toddlers, both the nail and tip of the fingeror toe beneath the nail can be accidentally placed between the jaws, sothat the blades not only cut through the nail but also the finger tip ortoe tip.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a nail clipper whose jaws are configuredto reduce the risk of clipping the tips of toes and fingers whentrimming fingernails and toenails.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the nail clipper comprisesfirst and second jaws, with the second jaw opposing the first jaw andbeing sufficiently adjacent the first jaw to define a gap therebetweenfor receiving the nail of a finger or toe. The clipper further includesa feature for pivoting the first and second jaws toward each other. Ablade is provided on the first jaw and extends toward the second jaw,and a plate is provided on the second jaw so as to oppose the blade ofthe first jaw. The plate has a planar, noncutting surface against whichthe blade abuts when the first jaw is fully pivoted toward the secondjaw by the pivoting feature. As such, only one of the jaws is formed tohave a cutting feature (blade), so that the jaws cooperate to cutthrough a nail from only one side of the nail.

In use, the nail of a digit (i.e., finger or toe) is inserted into thegap between the first and second jaws so that the plate is beneath thenail and shields the digit beneath the nail from the blade of the firstjaw. The first and second jaws can then be pivoted toward each otheruntil the nail is trimmed as a result of the blade cutting through thenail until the blade abuts the plate.

In view of the above, it can be seen that the plate shields and thusprotects the tip of the finger or toe being trimmed from the blade ofthe nail clipper, and therefore essentially eliminates the risk ofcutting the finger or toe tip while trimming the nail.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be betterappreciated from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a nail trimmer in accordance with apreferred embodiment of this invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 represent detailed side views of the nail trimmer of FIG.1 with the jaws of the trimmer open and closed, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a nail clipper 10 configured to enable thefingernails and toenails of an individual to be safely trimmed withgreatly reduced risk of clipping the tips of fingers and toes,particularly those of young children. From FIG. 1, it can be seen thatthe nail clipper 10 is generally configured similarly to that ofconventional clippers. The clipper 10 can be manufactured in a range ofsizes appropriate for use on the fingernails and toenails of adults,children, toddlers, and infants. A variety of materials could be used toform the components of the clipper 10, including those known and used tomanufacture conventional clippers.

The clipper 10 comprises two arms 12 and 14 that are shown joined atadjacent first ends 16. As known, the intent of joining the first ends16 of the arms 12 and 14 is to bias apart oppositely-disposed secondends 18 of the arms 12 and 14, where first and second jaws 20 and 22,respectively, are defined. Accordingly, in addition to the joint shown,various other configurations are possible for achieving the biasingeffect, including rivets, etc., and such variations are within the scopeof this invention. A nail file and other accessories can be attached atthe second ends 18 of the arms 12 and 14 as also done with conventionalclippers.

The arms 12 and 14 are coupled adjacent their second ends 18 with a post24 that extends through both arms 12 and 14. The post 24 can be securedto the arms 12 and 14 in a conventional manner, such as a head 26abutting the second arm 14 (FIGS. 2 and 3) and a lever 28 engaging aslot in the opposite end of the post 24 extending from the first arm 12.The distance between the head 26 and slot in the post 24 is less thanthe free distance between the arms 12 and 14 where the post 24 isinstalled, so that when installed on the post 24 the lever 28 forces thearms 12 and 14 a limited distance toward each other, as shown in FIG. 2.As also conventional, the lever 28 uses the first arm 12 as a fulcrum,so that pivoting the lever 28 toward the first arm 12 further pivots thearms 12 and 14 toward each other until their jaws 20 and 22 engage eachother, as shown in FIG. 3.

As seen in FIG. 1 and in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, the jaw 20 of thefirst arm 12 defines a sharp cutting blade 30 that extends toward thejaw 22 of the second arm 14. As with conventional clippers, FIG. 1 showsthe blade 30 as having an arcuate or contoured cross-sectional shape ina plane substantially normal to the blade 30, corresponding to thetrimmed shape typically desired for finger and toe nails. The jaw 22 ofthe second arm 14 differs from the jaw 20 of the first arm 12 by itslack of a blade or other cutting feature, instead defining a plate 32that extends from the jaw 22 in a direction substantially normal to theblade 30. The upper surface of the plate 32 is preferably planar toprovide a uniform surface against which the blade 30 abuts when the jaws20 and 22 are fully pivoted toward each other, as represented in FIG. 3.The lower edge of the blade 30 is preferably parallel to the upperplanar surface of the plate 32, so that the entire blade 30 abuts theplate 32 when the jaws 20 and 22 are fully pivoted toward each other bythe lever 28.

From FIG. 3, it can be seen that the plate 32 extends beyond the blade30, defining a lip portion of the plate 32 that lies outside the closedjaws 20 and 22. The lip portion terminates with a distal edge 34 thatpreferably has an arcuate shape complementary to the typical contour ofthe intersection where a fingernail or toenail meets the nail bed onwhich the nail grows. In this manner, when a nail is placed within thegap seen between the blade 30 and plate 32 in FIG. 2, the plate 32 canbe fully inserted beneath a nail to shield the finger or toe from theblade 30 as the blade 30 is actuated downward against the plate 32 totrim the nail without risk of clipping the tip of the finger or toe.Because only the first jaw 20 is equipped with a blade 30 or otherfeature capable of cutting a nail, the jaws 20 and 22 cooperate to cutthrough a nail from only one side of the nail. The lack of a blade onthe second jaw 22 is compatible with actuating only the first jaw 20with the lever 28, in that the plate 32 of the second jaw 22 is intendedto remain completely stationary (abutting the lower surface of the nail)during the trimming operation.

While the invention has been described in terms of a preferredembodiment, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by oneskilled in the art. For example, the physical configuration of theclipper 10, arms 12 and 14, jaws 20 and 22, etc., could differ from thatshown, and yet obtain the safety feature of the plate 32. Therefore, thescope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.

1. A nail clipper for trimming nails of fingers and toes, the nailclipper comprising: a first jaw; a second jaw opposing the first jaw andsufficiently adjacent the first jaw to define a gap therebetween forreceiving the nail of a finger or toe; means for pivoting the first andsecond jaws toward each other; a blade on the first jaw extending towardthe second jaw; and a plate on the second jaw opposing the blade of thefirst jaw, the plate having a planar surface against which the bladeabuts when the first jaw is fully pivoted toward the second jaw by thepivoting means; whereby only the first jaw comprises means for cuttingthe nail and the first and second jaws cooperate to cut through the nailfrom only one side thereof.
 2. The nail clipper according to claim 1,wherein the blade is substantially normal to the plate when the firstjaw is pivoted into contact with the second jaw.
 3. The nail clipperaccording to claim 1, wherein the blade extends toward the second jaw ina first direction and the blade has an arcuate cross-section in a planenormal to the first direction.
 4. The nail clipper according to claim 1,wherein the blade extends toward the second jaw in a first direction,the plate lies in a plane normal to the first direction, and the plateterminates at a distal edge beyond the blade so that a lip portion ofthe plate is outside the first and second jaws when the first jaw isfully pivoted toward the second jaw by the pivoting means.
 5. The nailclipper according to claim 4, wherein the distal edge of the plate hasan arcuate contour in the plane normal to the first direction.
 6. Thenail clipper according to claim 1, wherein the pivoting means utilizesthe first jaw as a fulcrum for pivoting the first jaw toward the secondjaw.
 7. A method of using the nail clipper according to claim 1, themethod comprising: inserting a nail of a digit into the gap between thefirst and second jaws so that the plate is beneath the nail and shieldsthe digit beneath the nail from the blade of the first jaw; and thenpivoting the first and second jaws toward each other until the nail istrimmed as a result of the blade cutting through the nail until theblade abuts the plate.